Anything but Lonely
by shyXshortieXbabe
Summary: A mystery behind the death of the Curtis's parents...a deadly secret. And one lonely...lonely girl holds the key to Pony's heart and to the past.


Franny was alone. The 17 year old girl was particularly beautiful, but ever since childhood there had been something peculiar about her. Something about her face..or maybe her eyes, that drew people in until they drowned in the pools of deep deep blue.

When the people emerged from the depths of sapphire they blamed Franny-called her raving mad- and then screamed things much worse.

As a result Franny hid her eyes behind ugly unreasonably dark glasses and spent all of her time in one small niche in the corner of the library. No one ever bothered her there, in the small alcove between the dusty old newspaper stacks and the old Elvis records.

In Franny's little niche she was safe from the ridicule of the other high students. And it wasn't as if Franny was without friends either. She had plently. There was Claire and Madge and Katy and Stacy and Leslie and Jane and….the list goes on. But never any boys. Never.

The only problem was Franny's many friends fled whenever someone else came about. They thought she was crazy when she told them about the fun games she had played with her many many fun and beautiful friends. The others thought she was popping pills or drinking but she wasn't. She was just alone. Very very alone.  
But she didn't mean any harm, honestly she didn't. She didn't mean any harm.

"Ponyboy watch out! Behind you!" Ponyboy turned swiftly and in perfect matrix fashion the picture frame behind him crashed to the floor and shattered the glass.

"That's not good." Johnny's eyes widened as he gently picked up the frame and abandoned the football on the couch.

"It's okay. We can just replace the frame, at least the picture is still good." Pony pushed his red-brown hair away from his troubled face and fished one of the only pictures of his parents together out from the shards of broken glass.

"Is that your mom?" Johnny was looking at the picture like he hadn't seen it every time he walked into the Curtis house,

"She's beautiful." Mrs. Curtis had been strikingly lovely; her hair was as golden as Soda's and her smile was just as contagious.

"Yah, she was great" The words fell automatically from Ponyboy's lips, as he tenderly traced his mother's heavenly profile with a fingertip. If it had been anyone but Johnny Pony would have pulled back immediately but seeing as it was his best buddy Pony let his index finger linger another second leaving an unfortunate fingerprint in it's wake.

"She'd be mad if you didn't clean up the glass" Johnny joked as he swept up the glass quickly and cast a glance to the fading sun.

"Soda and Darry are gonna be home late tonite. There always some cake left over." The offer for company was unspoken as Ponyboy, still holding the picture, sank down on the pile of newspapers that was once a couch.

"Naw, thanks Pon' but I've got a date" Johnny blushed deeply, his big eyes making him look a lot younger than 18.

"Oh." Ponyboy tried to keep the disapproving tone out of his voice. Darry would've marveled at his effort. The girl was bad news with a capital B. But who was Pony to say anything against Johnny's new girlfriend.

"I'll see you later!" Johnny was out the door before he could see Ponyboy's face fall. Love blinded people like that, sometimes.  
As the faded sunlight played with Ponyboy's vision the picture in his hands and almost dropped it as an unnoticed side unfolded in his touch. There were his parents still golden in the light and someone had folded the picture to make it fit in the small wooden frame. Then something caught Ponyboy's green-eyed gaze.

A face, terrible with jealousy flashed in his mind, and a figure blurred in the backdrop of the picture revealed itself in the newly found side to the picture. It was a woman, that much was clear and she was glaring at the camera with hatred. Ponyboy, puzzled, brought the picture closer to his face, trying to see better.

Behind him a figure moved in the fading light making it's way slowly towards the boy on the couch. Slowly it moved…..closer, and closer.


End file.
